I'm developing an iPhone app with a subscription model, and I saw this iOS PayPal library: Apple takes 30% of revenue of everything, but PayPal takes significantly less for micro-payments (maxing out at 10%). Naturally, I became interested.
I guess what I'm confused about is this: if Apple wants everyone to use the in-app purchase library for everything (as per this document), why does this PayPal library even exist? Wouldn't any app that used it get rejected?
Has anyone successfully published an app in the app store that uses this library? If so, what was the purchase for? Digital goods? Physical goods? Content?
quote from some forum:
Hello, Apple policy restricts from using our library for accepting
digital goods. Use our library should
be for hard goods, donations, personal
payments and services only.
I hope this clarifies your question.
Thank you.
Update on donations.
Apple has updated their policy (When?). You can no longer use PayPal iOS for donations.
Apple Store Review Guidelines (Retrieved 2014-10-02 05:25pm GMT):
Charities and contributions
21.1 Apps that include the ability to make donations to recognized charitable organizations must be free
21.2 The collection of charitable donations must be done via a web site in Safari or an SMS
There are things that you could sell by paypal in iphone apps, imagine that your app exists to promote your business, and not that your app IS your business. I mean...you have a library and use app as another channel to sell the books, or you have an hotel and use app to reserve and then pay the room! In that case you can use paypal.
You cannot use paypal, but you have to use instead in-app purchase, if you sell some additional feature for you app...
I hope this helps
Related
This is the response of Apple, anyone here published an IOS app with either AliPay or Wechat pay.
I need help in regards with this.
Thank you.
Specifically, we found that your app includes AliPay (支付寶) and Taobao H5 Payments, which provides access to external payment mechanisms and enables the purchase of content, services, or functionality by means other than the in-app purchase API.
You can't use other third party payment methods for the purchase of digital goods/content with your app which is going to be consuming with in the app.
So for that apple recommends the use of in-app purchase.
When can I use third party payment methods?
When you are selling physical goods or provide services for the payment you receive.
When cot user in-app purchase?
When you are providing user digital goods like unlocking a game level, buying coins, etc. the you must use in-app purchase.
For more info. regarding this you can check the Apple's official document here
I came across the same problem when I had integrated BrainTree with my application. And then me and my team went ahead with further communication for the same as one of my app had same configuration even though it was acceptable by AppStore.
So If any of the features or levels in game is opened after paying to
the developers then that payment has to be done using In App Purchase.
And even in that around 30 to 40% of the amount developers has to pay
to the Apple.
And If payment is done like buying pizza or any other shopping in
which user does not need to pay anything to open any of the content
within app in that case developers can use any payment gateway.
Can i use a third part library like "Stripe" to accept Donations (charity) payments in my iOS app? Will my app pass the Apple review team? or it will be rejected? What is the proper way to accept Donations in my iOS app?
Thnaks
The App Store's guidelines define what's acceptable and what's not regarding charities & donations. Furthermore, it describes how to become an approved nonprofit.
3.2.1 Acceptable
(vi) Approved nonprofits may fundraise directly within their own apps or third-party apps, provided those fundraising campaigns adhere to all App Review Guidelines and offer Apple Pay support. These apps must disclose how the funds will be used, abide by all required local and federal laws, and ensure appropriate tax receipts are available to donors. Additional information shall be provided to App Review upon request. Nonprofit platforms that connect donors to other nonprofits must ensure that every nonprofit listed in the app has also gone through the nonprofit approval process. Learn more about becoming an approved nonprofit.
3.2.2 Unacceptable
(iv) Unless you are an approved nonprofit or otherwise permitted under Section 3.2.1 (vi) above, collecting funds within the app for charities and fundraisers. Apps that seek to raise money for such causes must be free on the App Store and may only collect funds outside of the app, such as via Safari or SMS.
In the US if you don't have an EIN and you are not a charity but you are just seeking private donations it will likely be rejected. I would use another avenue, a web link to your own website could be included in the description of the app link or u can include a "pro" version of your app as a way, users can download the free version for free and upgrade for a couple bucks. I don't think I have seen non-incorporated entities seeking donation get approved if they placed it into a native app, as this could lead to abuse (imo)
I am developing an iOS application where all payment related things are on existing website, our app don't have any payment related thing in it. A user adds payment details on website and select appropriate plan and can use it on both website and iOS app.
So please tell me that if i have nothing on app for using In-App purchase then it will be get approved on app store or get rejected just because app is not giving them their 30% share?
I need some expert advise...
I just read through that exact section of the developer guidelines, and it confirms that that is prohibited. A recent example of such apps being rejected: apps using Dropbox were being rejected (the Dropbox API had a button that could navigate users to their website to upgrade their account instead of having it take place in-app, where Apple would have gotten a percentage).
A quote from that article:
In case you’re wondering what the reasoning these apps are getting for rejection, here’s what Apple is responding with:
11.13
We found that your app provides access to external mechanisms for purchases or subscriptions to be used in the app, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.
Specifically, your app enables to user to create accounts with Dropbox and Google.
Well that sucks. Apparently at some point when using an app that utilizes the Dropbox SDK, you can create an account for the service if you don’t already have one. At that point, there’s a link to a desktop version of Dropbox that lets you upgrade your account. That’s exactly what Apple isn’t a fan of.
My suggestion would be to make them available for purchase via an in-app purchase, charge 30% more for it (so you make the same amount as if the user made the purchase on the web or on Android), but make the user's job post last for 30% more time. This isn't quite fair for you because, if you make $100 off John for an 30-day listing, you would still only make $100 off me for a 39-day listing (assuming I bought the listing via the iOS app). That said, there is no incentive for me to pay for the listing via the iOS app because I am paying $130 (30% more than John) for it and the additional days.
Best of luck.
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/05/02/apps-using-dropbox-are-being-rejected-because-apple-is-playing-hardball/
The link on App Store Review Guidelines mentions:
3.1.3(b) Multiplatform Services: Apps that operate across multiple platforms may allow users to access content, subscriptions, or features they have acquired
elsewhere, including consumable items in multi-platform games, provided those
items are also available as in-app purchases within the app. You must not directly or indirectly target iOS users to use a purchasing method other than in-app purchase, and your general communications about other purchasing methods must not discourage use of in-app purchase.
I am not sure how Netflix does this. New users cannot signup on iOS App, but can sign up on website, purchase subscriptions and use in iOS App.
My iOS app got rejected because we charge users with Stripe's payment service, and Apple requires us to use IAPs for payments.
We deleted the Stripe reload balance module from the app. Now the only way to recharge it is for the user to go to the website and make the payment. Does this solution work or does the app still have to use IAPs?
Apple has explicitly requested any submission to go through their iAP for any payment. Your rejection is expected and normal. You have two choices, asking a user to pay through iAP or accept the payment on your website. Both works, but you can't and can't explicitly ask your user to pay you directly.
Let's take Dropbox as an example. You can upgrade Dropbox account on their website. It works. But Dropbox isn't allowed to encourage you to do the upgrade in the app itself (unless the payment goes through Apple). That is, you can't do something like a button in the app that takes you to the payment form on your website. If a user knows how and where to do it on the Dropbox website without being told to do in the app, good, Apple doesn't take that 30% commission.
Unless your service is popular, most users wouldn't be bothered to goto your website and give you their credit card number for a purchase. You should consider just giving the 30% commission to Apple, you'll get more sales.
You are required by Apple to use IAP, and can only use IAP, if you are using the purchase to unlock code in the app. You may use other payment systems only if you are selling real world goods and services or, in certain circumstances, files that are being downloaded from your servers. If you use other payment systems they must be used outside of the app. This is explained in the app review guidelines, section 11.
Note that requiring the use of IAP for sales of code distributed by Apple may not be an issue under anti-trust laws. But in any event, if the "market" is smartphones then Apple is not a monopoly player since their market share is limited.
I'm aware that we can integrate in-app purchases with storekit. but i want to integrate payments using credit card. will apple allow to integrate such libraries? Are there any such libraries available where users can use their credit card for payment of products with in my app?
Depending on what users are purchasing*, you should be just fine accepting payments in your app. Instead of trying to incorporate some type of payment library into the app I would recommend using a payment API that offloads the work. Take a look at http://stripe.com/ for an example of an excellent payment system designed for ease of integration. Their API reference even mentions integration with iPhone apps.
*If you are trying to sell features or services of the app itself you will almost definitely be running afoul of Apple's guidelines, but based on the fact that you said "products" I am assuming this is not the case. In fact, while you must use the in-app purchase system for "content, functionality, or services in an app" you are specifically forbidden from using it for "physical goods or goods and services used outside of the application" (item 11.3 of Apple's App Store Review Guidelines).
Apple does allow not Apple's IAP in-app payments for goods not consumed in the phone (Digital content) as stated above.
See this example of an approved app that use external library for accepting credit cards in their app:
iStash
In my opinion Stripe is good solution but not the ideal for in-app as it is a web based solution and focuses on web experience.
If you want a true mobile in-app experience I suggest you check out PayPal library or my company, ZooZ, which accepts both PayPal and Credit Cards in one integration.
working project can be find here on github stripe example.
As an iOS dev you'd best have a good read through this. Specifically pertinent to you is section 11.2:
11.2 Apps utilizing a system other than the In App Purchase API (IAP) to purchase content, functionality, or services in an app will be rejected
They want the profit, and they get their cut if you use the IAP API. Hope that clears up any issues.
EDIT: I am assuming based on the wording of your question that the payment will unlock something transitory in the app. IAP are only appropriate when purchasing something digital. If what you are selling is physically tenable, then you shouldn't, and in fact are not allowed, to use the IAP API. In that case, something along the lines of Stripe or a web-based version of Paypal's API would work.
In support of David's answer, I would like to add that, using a payment API to accept payments for products/donation through your app would be ideal.
Apple Pay is now available (as of today) on iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and active only in US.
But if you still want to add support in your app for devices that cannot use Apple Pay, Authorize.Net now has an iOS SDK which you can use to integrate and enable credit card payments.